This is a difficult one..... especially if it doesn't have an EGT gauge already fitted

Personally, I would naturally fight for a better price, especially for a 2003, and with the money saved, I would spend the money on getting the head off and having a look at the condition of the pistons and sleeves etc. Maybe even get the Patrol down to a guy like Frans, who can open it up and check. If need be change the pistons and rings ( I'm no ZD30 expert, so I may be barking up the wrong tree ) and bearings, as this will cost almost nothing in comparison to having a blown up motor. Then fit an EGT gauge if not already fitted, and do the whole EGR removal/blanking, and all should be well. Those ZD motors are strong, and with the right precautions done to prevent the " big bang theory " you will have many happy Km.

I was never a fan of these motors, but over the years, after seeing what they are capable of, I have grown a little fond of them.

Out of interest sake, I asked the owner what it was.
The ladies brother phoned me and he says it's a 4.2Td.
Pretty sure he doesn't have a clue what it is, but if it is a 4.2 turbo, that would be a rare find.
I'm also sure it's a handgrenade model.
Asked him to send photos so I can have a look for myself.
Will post once I know.

I've only ever seen 2 factory 4.2 turbo diesels.
1 at a Sporting event and the other was for sale in Jeffreys bay years ago.
Actually test drove it and was wanting to buy it but someone beat me to it. Was a 1999 white one from MP and was as stock as a rock. Belonged to a geologist who moved down to the coast. The troll was his wifes soccer mom wagon because they had 4 kids. Had just over 100k on the clock and it sold for R140k about 6 years back.

ricster wrote:This is a difficult one..... especially if it doesn't have an EGT gauge already fitted

Personally, I would naturally fight for a better price, especially for a 2003, and with the money saved, I would spend the money on getting the head off and having a look at the condition of the pistons and sleeves etc. Maybe even get the Patrol down to a guy like Frans, who can open it up and check. If need be change the pistons and rings ( I'm no ZD30 expert, so I may be barking up the wrong tree ) and bearings, as this will cost almost nothing in comparison to having a blown up motor. Then fit an EGT gauge if not already fitted, and do the whole EGR removal/blanking, and all should be well. Those ZD motors are strong, and with the right precautions done to prevent the " big bang theory " you will have many happy Km.

I was never a fan of these motors, but over the years, after seeing what they are capable of, I have grown a little fond of them.

But you still can't beat cubic inches though......

Cedric, we all know by now that I am no diesel expert, but I want to say this:
In my opinion, leave the head right where it is, and rather have a sample of the engine oil analysed. This is much cheaper, and will tell you more than having a squiz at the pistons.

The problem is that the hand grenade failure is a fatigue-related failure due to recurring crystal structure change. Each time the aluminium components go over a certain temperature, the crystals start changing shape, but the complete transformation takes quite a long time (at least when compared to combustion cycle timescales). So effectively, some crystals change shape, shoving the surrounding crystals around, and causing stresses.

However, there will be absolutely no sign of this until the moment the fatigue limit is reached, in which case the piston virtually falls apart.

Thus, as far as I am aware, there is either no visible damage, or the grenade has blown, and the engine is very obviously broken.

So while nothing on earth will give you any warning of imminent hand-grenading, an oil analysis will give you a very good picture of the general health of the engine. It will for example tell you if there is too much diesel in the oil, which can indicate injector issues and thus predict the type of failure you had on your 4.2. It can also indicate if the engine has gotten hot, if there are head or head gasket issues and much more. All this for under R500, to my mind it should be something you do before buying any second-hand car.

Very valid point Peter, and definitively cheaper too...hahaha. I presume that the oil in the motor would need to be close to the end of its service interval to gauge an accurate reading.

Peter, just to get my brain around this.... Hypothetically if one had a ZD motor, still running perfectly, I would then think that opening the motor and fitting new rings and pistons ( and naturally bearings too ) would be worth the expense then as you would have the piece of mind that the motor would be in "perfect" condition, with the obvious anti hand grenade mods done.

It seems the piston is the fail point due to the hand grenade issues, so preventative measures to ensure they don't re occur, and replace the possibly already weakened piston. sounds like a win win.

Cedric, i think you are right in that if you have replaced pistons, rings and gaskets you should be ok. But i was taught you never open a motor without replacing the oil pump, and keeping in mind the motor is 13 years old you may well have to bore it out and replace the i jectors.

By the time you've done all that the bill will be pretty awesome, so the car needs to be really cheap to compensate. I simply doubt it's worth it?

Peter, you are correct for sure... "don't fix what isn't broken" is a very valid point, but if its going to be a keeper, and you don't plan on selling it in any near future and do the whole "shabang", you will have spent ( I use the term loosely) "unnecessary" money on replacing stuff that isn't broken, but that money spent now, could in effect save you double later should something go wrong, and you have piece of mind on a "new" motor.

We all know the TB42, TB45, TB48, and the TD42 motors are pretty much bullet proof, we all don't give enough credit to the ZD30 motor ( even I cannot believe I'm saying this, but the ZD motor has grown on me, like the TD42 has grown on Tinus ..... ). I assume the UN also had a spec on these motors for service as with the spec given for the other Patrol models and I presume Cruisers etc.

I suppose depending on how the motor has been treated will effect how long the motor will last. I don't know if after 150 000km, whether the block will need to be re-sleeved or just a quick honing. Injectors, well they would need to be replaced at some stage anyways I presume. I'm not sure what the life expectancy is on those.

I suppose at the end of the day it doesn't matter what vehicle it is... a second hand vehicle is still a second hand vehicle and there can be issues that need attention.

But hopefully it is a 4.2 diesel, and Dustin can be puffin' up a diesel storm soon...